Many gas, charcoal and electric grills currently configured for outdoor use have a similar structure. A round or rectangular cooking surface is oriented to face a standing operator position with cooking system controls in the front or to the side of the cooking surface. A hinged lid or cover is located such that it opens away from the operator position and is placed on the opposite side of the cooking surface from the operator. Surfaces for food preparation and handling are placed to the sides of the cooking surface or to the front either on fixed or folding shelves. Storage areas may be provided below the cooking surfaces or the shelves.
There are numerous limitations associated with the above-described configuration. First, shelf space is limited since the entire area behind the cooking surface is unavailable due to the space required for storage of the cooking surface lid or cover. Second, the operator cannot converse or interact with anyone facing him since that space is taken up by the lid, blocking vision if open and creating a hot surface in proximity to anyone there if open or closed. Third, when opening the cooking surface lid or cover, smoke and hot gases exit from the cooking chamber directly toward the operator, which prevents immediate vision or operation. Attempts to solve these problems have been limited.
In one case, U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,755 to Johnston and assigned to W.C. Bradley Company utilized angled cooking surfaces that were designed to create more shelf space on the sides. In another case, U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,165 to Johnson and assigned to Weber-Stephens Products Co. used a sliding shelf to extend the working surface. Neither of these solutions addressed the above mentioned second and third issues. In the cases discussed above, the grills are equipped with conventional cooking systems, the limitations of which will become apparent in the discussion of proposed solution below.